Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-09-01
COLLEGE SOCIETIES.
NOTED ORGANIZATIONS AMONG THE
CLASSES AT YALE.

The Most Profoundly Secret skull and
Bones"-The scroll and Key" and the
''wolfs Head"-Other Prominent Glass
Societies.
Yales most celebrated senior societies are
sSkun and Bones.n sScron and Kew and
@Wolfs Head" To be elected member Of
sSkull and Bones is considered one of the
greatest honors that can fall to Yale man.
To secure such an election a man must
achieve celebrity in one direction or another.
Wealth or popularity is of minor Importance.
The society is limited to fifteen members.
Among them are generally to be found the
captains of the university crew, the baseball
and football teams. and also prominent track
athletes. Among others generally chosen are
the valedictorian of the senior class, one or
more members of the board of editors of The
Yale Literary Magazine and one or more
officers of the various athletic organizations.
The society has been in existence ffty-five
years, and numbers among its past members
some of the most noted men who have grad
uated from Yale. Its meetings are held in a
moss covered sandstone building situated not
far from the campus, and are conducted with
the most profound secrecy. No Bones man
has ever been induced to disclose any of the
doings of the society, and genuine offense is
taken if it be referred to in his presence.
Next in importance comes the Scroll and
Key" society. Its members are all men
prominent in some direction, but, as rule,
they are less celebrated than the Bones"
men. Popularity and wealth are important
considerations in the choice of many of the
"Keys" men, and the honor of membership is
almost as eagerly sought as in Bones"
The society yclept "Wolf's Head" has sprung
into existence within few years, and has
grown to good deal of Importance and
popularity. 1t has, like its sister organiza-
tions, beautiful building, the interior Of
which is said to be handsomely furnished.
THE JUNIOR SOCIETIES
The junior societies, @Delta Kappa Ep-
silon" and @Psi Upsilon," are ancient and
honorable organizations which have been
celebrated in story and in song. Prominence
and popularity are the important factors in
the choice of members. Up to the year 1877
both societies were accustomed to give
Thanksgiving plays in Alumni hall. These
performances were very attractive to
old graduates and town people, but
the college boys fell into the habit
of doing and saying such objec-
tionable things on these occasions that the
faculty finally prohibited further public per-
formances; and so it has come to pass that the
yearly exhibitions are now witnessed only by
the members of the society under whose
auspices they are held. The exhibitions take
the form of minstrel shows and burlesques on
the plays Of Shakespeare or some more
modern author. The minstrel shows fire.
quently include limitations of eccentricities of
the various professors, and are invariably
received with great gusto. Costumes from
New York are employed, and much time is
spent in rehearsing for the presentations.
Similar plays are given in May on the oc-
casion of the initiation Of the sophomore
members.
In addition to the fraternities mentioned
above, there are several sophomore and
freshman societies and a large number of
Sheffield Scientific school societies; but they
are less important than those that have been
named.-Arthur Edmands jerks in Lippin-
colts.